9 dead as migrant boat sinks off Turkish coast

Nine people died on Thursday when a boat carrying migrants sank off Turkey's Aegean coast, local media reported.

The mishap occurred off Kusadasi district of Turkey's southwestern province of Aydin, the state-run Anadolu Agency said.

Hurriyet daily said the boat was carrying 13 illegal migrants on route to a Greek island and four were rescued.

The Aegean Sea was once the main route for migrants being smuggled into Europe via Turkey. A deal signed between Turkey and the European Union in March 2016 has reduced the flow of illegal migration.